Whenever the NBA gets back to business, the future of Magic center Dwight Howard will no doubt be one of the dominant story lines. Many around the league believe he is as good as gone from Orlando, as he can opt for free agency next summer. And in an interview with Esquire, Howard did little to quell that notion.

Asked by Esquire’s Scott Raab, “Do you think that the drive to represent, on an iconic level, will be a factor in your free agency? Do you see yourself in a much larger market?”

“There's more you can do in a bigger place,” Howard responded. “I'm stuck in a tough position because I feel like right now, where I'm at, I've done so much. And I just don't know what else I can do. I can't live for everybody else. I don't know what decision I'm gonna make as of right now. It's been crazy. Everybody wants me to come here, come play here, come to our team, do this. It's a great feeling, though, to be wanted."

“You're gone. I can feel it,” Raab replied.

“The toughest part for me is the city — the people,” Howard said. “They've got burgers named after me in Orlando, they've got a website saying, ‘Please stay.’ I love the people in the city. I've literally sat on the bench with a towel on my head crying, because I feel the passion in the stands. I just think about what's going to be best for what I want to accomplish in my life. And I don't want that door to close on me, wherever that door is. I don't want it to close."

Howard also hinted that he has an issue with the coaching style of Stan Van Gundy.

Raab asked, “If I had a coach like Stan Van Gundy yelling at me all season, I would have slapped that guy silly a long time ago. What's it like to have a guy constantly yelling at you with that voice?”

“Stan's a great guy away from basketball,” Howard said. “He's passionate. He loves the game. I have no problem with him off the court. The only thing I had a real problem with was the way he coached. It was very tough with Stan, because he yelled a lot, and I don't want to be that guy to yell at my teammates along with my coach. Because they're going to turn it all off. I had to find different ways to motivate my team. Sometimes when you have so much negativity, it's really hard to be positive. I had a lot of negativity growing up, so I understand how to block the negativity out.”